Monday, July 12, 2010

A FEAST

I drive by this cute little cottage all the time at the lake going into town. This time I brought my camera with me to share it with you. I believe it is the artist studio of the lady that lives across the street from it; that house is done in a pretty yellow, too.

Isn't it charming? I wonder what sort of art she is in to. She previously owned an antique store in town...it was darling, too.You can get a better idea of the size of it from this picture...small, but enough room to create or just sit outside on the little porch having a glass of iced tea. I caught my side window with the camera but that's good, you can see the road I am on, which is how all the little roads along the lake look.Saturday afternoon The Husband and I took a boat ride and I brought my camera. I didn't get it wet...Yay!! I took a lot of pictures, but I am saving them for later in the week.The lake was gorgeous that day and the water quite warm.I promised The Husband a feast Saturday night and I was true to my word. My favorite little snack; pretzels and whipped cream cheese. It's very simple but delicious.I mentioned Friday that I had bought some Little Neck clams. To prepare them I soaked them in a bowl with 1 part vinegar to 3 parts cold water for 30 minutes. This gets all of the sand and grit out. I rinsed them and boiled them in water on the grill burner for 10 minutes until they opened. I served them with melted garlic butter with a few drops of hot sauce. Yum!The Husband grilled New York strip steaks......and I had made a pasta salad earlier in the day. I have been using good old Creamettes Pasta and I am finding that the noodles are so much more creamier and not slippery and sliding all over your plate. I made the salad with chopped red pepper and red onion. I used a creamy Greek vinaigrette to dress it.

I mentioned I was going to make the beer margaritas but we really weren't in the mood, but I do have the directions now. So many of you have had them from your comments and others wanted to try them. They are simply made with equal parts {12 ounces} of thawed limeade, 7 UP, Corona beer and tequila. We only use 8 oz. of Tequila because we didn't want them strong. These are so refreshing and perfect for a five o'clock cocktail outdoors.We took a long drive in the country on Sunday and that was about it for a heavenly weekend. I hope you had one, too. Later in the week I will share some pictures on the water. Thanks so much for visiting! :-)

61 comments:

Hi Jane,What a cute little house, so inspiring. Maybe one of these times, the artist will be out and you can stop and see if she'd care to chat?

Your dinner looks great. We too love pretzels around here but with what we call "tub cheese", I know doesn't sound great, but sure is a treat! I will be thinking about those clams all afternoon. Can't wait to see the water photos.xo~Tracie

Hi JaneSounds like you had a very relaxing weekend... which sounds good. I am exhausted but it was fun.That cottage is sooo cute! And such good food, yikes it's about supper time here - wish I could just grab your picturesBlessingsRebecca

That sweet little cottage looks like one my daughter had when she was little in our garden :-) it had lace curtains on the windows and a swan by the door and over the front door window said "Katie's Cottage"Your feast looks delicious ♥

Jane I just love it when you take me to the lake with you!What a sweet studio! I adore that front porch, don't you? It just makes me smile to see this sittong there under the trees. I bet I would love this lady!

Did you have to show me food? I have been trying to take off the same four pounds now for six weeks and too many of my friends tempt me with gorgeous food on thier blogs. LOL!It looks so yummmm!hugs

Jane your weekend does sound heavenly, probably the perfect thing after the busy July 4th festivities you had. Love the little yellow cottage. We have a similar one in a neighborhood near mine. The owner of the house built it as a playhouse for his granddaughter.

Hi Jane,I'm so glad that you are sharing your little slice of heaven with us today. I am so in love with your lakehouse. That little cottage should be yours and then you could slip away and just dream and relax on the front porch.

The food looks wonderful and I really like the sound of the Margaritas. Might have to try those.

Hi Jane, your photos are wonderful! The food looks sooo yummy! And I LOVE that little yellow cottage... I would go right up and knock on her door and introduce myself... that's what I do around here, and more times than not, the people are really friendly and want to chat... oooh how I would love to own that little place! Have fun and I can't wait to see all of your other photos! xoxo Julie Marie

Jane, Thank you for your sweet supportive comments! I will have fun & bring back lots of photos. That dinner looked amazing. I've never tried little neck clams before but, love mussels. My French neighbor fixes them to melt in your mouth with garlic, chopped celery, onion, parsley & white wine. YUMMMMO. But, now I want to try your clams. Loved the cottage/studio. You should go introduce yourself & talk your way into a tour... heck as sweet as you are I bet you two would become buddies in no time. HUGS! Charlene

Hi Jane~~~that little studio is adorable! Don't you just love the water when it sparkles like little diamonds?Where did you get that lake house sign??!!! I absolutley LOVE it!! mmmmmmm...your "feast" looks so yummy.Glad you were able to get away and relax with "the husband".Debbie@houseatthelake

A feast for the eyes and the tummy! I would love to have a studio. I kind of did (an extra room) but then the 22 year old moved back home before I got a chance to use it properly. Sigh. I love the thought of your lake house....such a joy to have I can only imagine :)

What a darling house. I love the yellow. That is some feast you had there. Hubby loves to eat food like that. I am not much of a meat eater but even to me that steak looks juicy and yummo!Have fun on the lake:)Blessings~Gwen

Hi Jane,Great post, makes me want to jump in the car and head for the lake. That little cottage is just darling. I would love to have that in my yard.I had my first clams this past weekend and loved them.It is nice to be back blogging, I have missed my visits.Enjoy your day.Maryrose

Hi Jane, I love the sweet little yellow cottage house, it's just darling. I can picture someone in their creating beautiful paintings or something magical... Thank you for sharing your weekend at the lake house, the food looks delicious and I love your pretty sign with the wreath below it! Have a great week!Hugz,Kim

That is a cute little house...I was just online looking at tiny houses on Tumbleweed Houses and the Katrina houses. They are between 100-600 square feet and adorable. Glad you had a great time on the water...dinner looked delicious.

Hi Jane! This little cottage is precious and I'd wanna take pictures of it too. I've always thought it would be so special to have a place like this to be artistic in. I've still yet to find the special place in my home to create... I tend to take over every room and my husband is like ...hmmmmm. :) Your dinner looks tremendous! Have a great week! :)

What a wonderful weekend you had, the food, the boat ride, everything! That little cottage would be perfect as an artist's studio, but I would love to have something just like that for a lovely little guest house too!

JANE

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